Curriculum Vitae
Frank Ureña
PhD, Molecular Biosciences & Bioengineering · MD Candidate · Physician-Scientist
Education
MD Candidate
St. George's University School of Medicine
Core clinical rotations across internal medicine, surgery, and subspecialties.
2023 — Present
Grenada / Clinical Rotations, USA
PhD, Molecular Biosciences & Bioengineering
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (JABSOM)
Dissertation: miR-15a/16-1 as post-transcriptional regulators of T-cell activity and proliferative capacity.
2019 — 2023
Honolulu, HI
BSc, Biological Sciences
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
2014 — 2019
Honolulu, HI
Research & Clinical Experience
2023 — Present
Grenada / Clinical Rotations, USA
MD Candidate
St. George's University School of Medicine ↗Core and advanced clinical rotations across internal medicine, surgery, and subspecialties. Integrating research exposure into clinical training, with particular attention to immunology-relevant presentations across disciplines.
2022 — 2023
Boston, MA
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts General Hospital ↗Dual-lab placement: mechanobiology of cancer-associated fibroblasts in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (Lagares Lab); immune integration in alveolar type 2 organoid models (Medoff Lab). Developed expertise in 3D patient-derived organoid platforms, single-cell approaches, and translational immunology.
2019 — 2023
Honolulu, HI
Graduate Research Assistant
John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi ↗Doctoral research on miR-15a/16 regulation of T-cell proliferation. Designed and executed GOF mouse model; mapped MEK1–ERK1/2–Elk1 signalling axis. Graduated with PhD in Molecular Biosciences & Bioengineering.
2019
Pullman, WA
Scientific Assistant
Washington State University Gene Editing Core ↗CRISPR guide RNA design and preparation; KO/KI model generation; genotyping and validation pipelines for transgenic models.
2018 — 2019
Honolulu, HI
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center ↗Multiplex diagnostic platform for bladder cancer using cell culture and viral transfection workflows.
2016 — 2018
Boston, MA
Research Assistant III
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering / Harvard Medical School ↗In vivo and in vitro experimental design; IACUC-approved protocols; immune-material biocompatibility. Core contributor to biomaterial vaccine platform published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
2015 — 2016
Woburn, MA
Research Associate
Toxicon Corp (CRO)
GLP/GMP surgical studies; TK/PK; multi-species preclinical models; histology and clinical pathology coordination.
2014 — 2015
Burlington, MA
Pathology Technician
Lahey Clinic and Medical Center ↗Autopsy support; surgical specimens; cytology including FISH and ThinPrep methodology.
Publications
Nature Biomed Eng · 2022 · IF 28.1 · 62 citations
Biomaterial vaccines capturing pathogen-associated molecular patterns protect against bacterial infections and septic shock.
Ureña F, et al.
J Biol Chem · 2022 · IF 5.5 · 18 citations
T-cell activation decreases miRNA-15a/16 levels to promote MEK1–ERK1/2–Elk1 signaling and proliferative capacity.
Ureña F, et al.
J Leukoc Biol · 2022 · IF 5.0 · 11 citations
Selenoprotein I deficiency in T cells promotes differentiation into tolerant phenotypes while decreasing Th17 pathology.
Ureña F, et al.
Sci Rep · 2022 · IF 3.8 · 9 citations
Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for specific and rapid detection of Dickeya fangzhongdai targeting a unique genomic region.
Ureña F, et al.
PhD Dissertation · 2023
MicroRNA 15a/16-1 as post-transcriptional regulators of T-cell activity and proliferative capacity.
Ureña F.
Technical Skills
Molecular & Cell Biology
- CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing
- Flow cytometry & cell sorting
- Western blot, ELISA, qRT-PCR
- Transgenic mouse model design (GOF/KO)
- RNA-seq & transcriptomics
In Vivo & Translational
- IACUC-approved murine models
- Surgical implant studies (GLP/GMP)
- Organoid & 3D culture platforms
- Biomaterial design & immune-biocompatibility
Clinical & Diagnostic
- Core clinical rotations (IM, Surgery, Peds)
- Autopsy & surgical pathology (Lahey Clinic)
- LAMP & multiplex diagnostic assay development
- FISH / ThinPrep cytology
Computational
- R (bioinformatics pipelines)
- Python (data analysis)
- GraphPad Prism
- ImageJ / FIJI
Honors & Recognition
Nature Biomedical Engineering Publication
IF 28.1 — top-tier translational journal
University of Hawaiʻi Graduate Fellowship
PhD research funding
100+ Total Citations
Google Scholar
Last updated 2026. Full PDF available on request.
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